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Imperial Inquisition
Imperial Inquisition The Imperial Inquisition is an Elvetan holy order which is the only institution in the Nesarian Empire to have higher legal authority than the Emperor, possessing absolute power over any individual within the Empire's borders. The Inquisition's purpose is to detect and punish those responsible for "heresy, corruption and other evil deeds". They essentially act as a kind of religiously motivated secret police. Historically, when such things still roamed, they were also responsible for finding and killing "abominations that threaten all good folk" - namely Lycanthropes, the Afflicted, all manner of creatures from the Dreadlands, and any other monstrous creatures that posed a threat to the innocent. The Inquisition was founded in 600BC by King Mathados I, and expanded alongside the Kingdom of Ascaria and later the Nesarian Empire. Although since the 20th century it has self-restricted itself to only targeting government and religious officials who are citizens, and the last execution for heresy occurred in 1839, the Inquisition still has the legal authority to target absolutely anyone within the Empire's borders. It is important to distinguish that while the Imperial Inquisition has a definite religious role, it is not part of the Elvetan Priestly Order, and it is also not part of the state. It is separate from both, and serves to monitor and police both. Since Inquisitors also possess full authority over the life and death of other Inquisitors, the Inquisition can also effectively police itself. Inquisitors are forbidden from demanding payment for their duties, and they are also forbidden from abusing their authority to carry out mercenary work. Any Inquisitor found guilty of either of these crimes is immediately put to death. The Imperial Inquisition has its own rules on how to punish people depending upon their crimes, and has courts to decide how to deal with their targets - however, these courts are purely their own and not part of the state, and each Inquisitor has full legal authority to banish, imprison, and execute people found guilty of heresy, corruption or evil deeds. Execution is usually performed by hanging, but if this cannot be done for whatever reason they will be killed by having a sword thrust into their heart. Historically, heretics were executed by being burned at the stake. Inquisitors sometimes intervene in simple criminal matters where the ordinary police are slow or do not have sufficient evidence to prove the accused is guilty despite knowing they are, but mostly the Inquisition operates outside the police's jurisdiction. Little is known about the Inquisition, because the Inquisition deliberately obscures information about its true size and what its activities really are. The only people outside the Inquisition permitted to review their records and archives without prior permission are the Emperor and the highest Elvetan priests, and everyone else must receive explicit permission, which is usually not given. Anyone, regardless of status, who does not keep an oath of secrecy about what they read is marked for death. A great deal of mystery therefore surrounds the activities of the Inquisition, leading to much speculation and theorising amongst the general population as to what exactly the Inquisition is up to. The organisation reached its peak size and scope during the Nesarian Civil War, when it found vast numbers of heretics and corrupt and evil people to deal with, and it worked alongside the Swords of Akras to protect temples from looters. It also saw such a spike in the activity of "abominations" with the temporary return of magic that the Dara Morca needed to be resurrected (see "Orders" section below). The Inquisition's activities during the Civil War are the most famous and the most romanticised, and several Inquisitors from this period became legends (see "Famous Inquisitors" section). Prior to the Civil War, only males could be Inquisitors, but the need to rapidly recruit more Inquisitors meant that the institution opened its doors to women. There was initially some resistance to this, but female Inquisitors quickly proved themselves to be just as capable. Although women are generally weaker, firearms allowed them to overcome this, and the women were (and to some extent still are) routinely underestimated by their targets, giving them a slight edge in combat. The proportion of women in the Inquisition has never exceeded about 20%. The Inquisition is divided up into ranks, although no Inquisitor has legal authority over any other - it is more a symbol of moral authority, and while lower Inquisitors are expected to follow the orders of the higher-ups, although they are not legally bound to. However, disobedience for the sake of disobedience or disobedience that in some way aids their targets will result in an Inquisitor being stripped of their rank and usually executed. Funding The Imperial Inquisition acquires funds for its operations through a variety of means, chiefly donors and a low level of commercial enterprise. The Imperial state contributes funds, and the noble families of Nesaria are expected to donate regularly, a tradition which most noble or otherwise prominent families across the Empire have also taken up. The Inquisition also receives occasional donations from anonymous members of the public. The Inquisition prefers to take donations in cash form, but since 2010 they have been receiving donations over the internet through Bitcoin and other secure cryptocurrencies. Payments by card are rejected as they are too easily traced. The Inquisition as an institution undertakes some commercial activities to supplement its funds. The Inquisition sometimes rents out property it is not using, although importantly with the clause that an Inquisitor can commandeer the property in the event of an emergency. Inquisitors skilled at craftsmanship who have nothing else to do will also create various trinkets to sell, and the Inquisition makes a small but regular income from what is essentially a souvenir shop selling items made by Inquisitors. Inquisitors are not given a salary, rather they are given a budget of how much they can spend each month, and anything left over goes back to the Inquisition. This means that any private commercial activities an Inquisitor may undertake ultimately end up funding the Inquisition. Inquisitors are not expected to live in poverty as the monastics do, but they are expected to only spend money on what they strictly need, and to not indulge in luxuries and frivolities. The budget does not increase with higher rank, but higher ranks have access to the more comfortable of the Inquisition's facilities. Inquisitors often find themselves spending little anyway, as the members of the public are encouraged to be charitable to Inquisitors, offering up food, drink and beds if required. In Ancient Times In ancient Nesaria, before the Kingdom of Ascaria had unified the country, the Inquisition operated more as an international body, although it was headquartered in Ascaria. Any state, Elvetan or not, which welcomed the Inquisition and agreed to fund it received the services of the Inquisition. However, the majority of states - particularly the native pagan ones - only welcomed the Inquisition on the condition that any state official persecuted for corruption had to be delivered to the ruler for punishment, rather than the Inquisition taking the punishment into its own hands. This was not only because the rulers wanted to protect their aristocracy from being attacked by the Inquisition, but also because many suspected that the Kingdom of Ascaria would pay off the Inquisition to destroy the entire ruling class of a state so that it could be easily conquered. There is no evidence of such a thing happening, but there is evidence of Ascarian aristocracy considering the possibility of carrying out this act, and one recorded instance of a nobleman trying to convince King Mathados I to bribe the Inquisition to kill the hostile Wallian/Cafanae aristocracy. The nobleman was turned over to the Inquisition by Mathados himself, who promptly hanged him. When Nesaria became unified under Ascaria and later the Republic of Nesaria, the Inquisition was able to carry out its duties across the whole country with no restrictions on its authority. Uniform Members of the Inquisition wear the same basic uniform, with details such as insignias displaying their rank. Their basic colour scheme of black, gold and some white has remained unchanged since their conception, and the current uniform design has changed little since the last major redesign in 1799. Since 1634, the uniforms have been produced exclusively by the Calesan Tailory, which was founded in Eshér but relocated to Avamoria in 1802. The Calesan Tailory makes use of especially fine cotton fabric, and while it is not a part of the Inquisition, it is jointly owned between the Calesan family and the Inquisition, and the Tailory signed a permanent contract to serve the Inquisition. Inquisitors wear a white ruffled shirt below a black waistcoat, with the top few buttons left undone to reveal the ruffles. On top of that, they wear a smooth-fitting coat that stretches down to the knees, widening into a skirt below the hips, with pleats at the side-seams and a vent at the back to make sitting easier. The coat is usually left unbuttoned for casual wear, but in combat it is often buttoned or worn with a belt to stop it flapping about. In hotter weather it is often not worn at all, particularly while in combat. They also wear black ankle-length breeches (sometimes substituted for modern-style trousers in current times), black leather boots that come up to just below the knee, and a black tricorn hat embroidered with golden thread. The hat comes with a strap (obviously also black) that keeps it on during combat, but the strap is usually left undone and tucked away for normal wear. Inquisitors often wear black gloves, but this is not an official part of the uniform. The waistcoat, coat, breeches and boots of an Inquisitor are all fairly tight-fitting for the purpose of practicality in combat situations. It also helps to reduce creases. Their uniform is decorated with golden trim throughout, and they use silver buckles and buttons rather than the brass reserved for military uniforms. Inquisitors almost always wear their hair in the warrior's ponytail, although this is not a requirement - however it is a requirement that ponytails must be tied back with a thin black ribbon. Inquisitors always carry a sword, and when on duty most also carry a handgun. On larger operations they often carry assault rifles, shotguns and other military-grade firearms, and may wear body armour. However, despite the obvious safety benefit, the vast majority of Inquisitors refuse to wear a combat helmet, usually wearing some kind of metal or kevlar cap beneath their traditional tricorne hat. The swords are procured from the Imperial Armoury which also supplies the Imperial Order of Knights, whereas the firearms and armour are bought from commercial outlets. Although the uniform is sometimes denounced as impractical, the Inquisiton has consistently defended its use of the traditional uniform, as Inquisitors should be "sufficiently intimidating". Indeed, the image of the Inquisitor in their dress is burned into the public consciousness and inspires obedience and fear in others. It is also the simple truth that the Inquisitors like dressing that way, and take pride in their traditional uniform. Orders The Inquisitors sort themselves into different Orders (or Darate) which have different responsibilities, and although Inquisitors are discouraged from switching, they are not bound to any of them and can switch at will. The Orders provide a concentrated pool of expertise and make it simpler for others outside the Inquisition to contact specific Inquisitors that they need. Dara Lessa Dara Lessa loosely translates as "Order of Work". The Dara Lessa is the least glamorous but possibly the most essential of the Orders, as it carries out the administrative duties of the Inquisition, managing funds and equipment, and receiving calls for aid and passing them on to spare Inquisitors who can help. The Dara Lessa also manages the Inquisition's relations with the state, religious institutions and the general public, and the tricky business of negotiating access to foreign countries where Inquisitors are needed but usually not welcomed. The Dara Lessa is almost entirely populated by Cytheni due to their exceptional ability to crunch numbers. Dara Vada Dara Vada loosely translates as "Order against Heretics". The smallest Order in modern times, the Dara Vada's responsibility is to hunt down heretics, traitors and "depraved cultists" such as Cesitans. The Dara Vada is populated by the most zealous and devout Inquisitors, seeking to not merely uphold what is good but to uphold the faith. Although this Order is explicitly Elvetan, it is also populated by some Christians, as who the Elvetans perceive to be a corruptive force on their faith or nation are also more often than not perceived the same way by Christians. The Dara Vada rigorously imposes upon its members the concept of differentiating heretics from those promoting heresy, as a man corrupted by heresy is not at fault whereas the man who corrupted him is. In the same way, members of a cult are not necessarily at fault as long as they commit no other crime, but the cult leaders are. In addition, traitors are not merely those who speak out against the Empire, but those who actively seek to destroy it or aid its enemies. The Dara Vada is in some ways constantly fighting a battle against itself, trying to balance freedom of speech with protecting the faith and the Empire. Dara Misca Dara Misca loosely translates as "Order against Corruption". The Dara Misca's responsibility is to find corrupt state officials and punish them, and it also hunts out corrupt religious officials, although in this case the guilty one is usually reported to higher authorities rather than dealt with by the Inquisition. The Dara Misca also hunts out corrupt Inquisitors. The Dara Misca's work is the most intensive on the side of the actual detecting, with much of their work happening in offices and libraries. Much like the Dara Lessa, the Dara Misca has a high concentration of Cytheni due to their gift of analysing data. Dara Mossa Dara Mossa loosely translates as "Order against Evil". The Dara Mossa's responsibility is to find and punish the worst criminals that the police are for whatever reason unable to act against. In modern times, this often involves hunting those involved in the drugs trade, and there are controversial rumours of the Dara Mossa working alongside the Judges in order to eliminate drug rings, although the Dara Mossa is more concerned with destroying the organisations than exterminating every last associate as the Judges are want to do. Another of the Dara Mossa's more common duties is hunting slavers, sex traffickers and paedophiles, and in this situation the Order does have more of a tendency to kill everyone involved rather than just the ringleaders. Dara Morca Dara Morca loosely translates as "Order against Dread". It is now redundant, but not technically disbanded. The Dara Morca's responsibility is to find and kill "abominations that threaten all good folk", namely Lycanthropes, the Afflicted, the many horrors from the Dreadlands and whatever other monstrous creatures pose a threat to the innocent. When the Order was still active, it had by far the most dangerous and respected line of work. The Dara Morca had the highest concentration of Elfkin out of any other Order, as their magical ability was particularly useful in the field of slaying monsters. It is important to note that the Dara Morca's objective was not to exterminate the "abominations", rather to protect the innocent from those that posed a threat - those who wanted to live peacefully were often protected by the Dara Morca against others (usually Humans) who wanted them dead. Some of the protected creatures even went on to aid or fully join the Inquisition, the most famous example being Vesha Malos, the wife of Stio Malos. While some members of the Dara Morca sometimes worked alongside the organisation known as the Morcavegsi, it is important to stress that the two organisations are separate and not the same, and no Inquisitors were permitted to join the Morcavegsi, despite what the Morcavegsi claimed. Due to the intense secrecy the Inquisition maintains about its activities, and the subsequent mystery surrounding the organisation, many theorise that the Dara Morca is in fact still active and still fighting off supernatural threats, but it goes to great lengths to conceal the fact that this is happening in the interest of keeping public order. Dara Morcano The Dara Morcano loosely translates as "Order of Dreadfolk" or "Order of Demons". It is an Order that only exists in rumours and conspiracy theories and has never been confirmed to exist by the Inquisition. While the Imperial state openly denies the existence of the Dara Morcano, the Inquisition itself has not commented on it. According to those who believe the Dara Morcano exists, it performs the same functions as the Dara Morca (and sometimes branches off into operations associated with other Orders) but it is unique in that it is entirely made up of Dreadfolk, intelligent creatures from the Dreadlands, and possibly Lycanthropes as well, although they could alternately be a part of the Dara Morca. Vesha Malos, the Lesser Demon who married Stio Malos and joined the Inquisition, is said to be part of the Dara Morcano. The Jester known as the Good Doctor is also said to be associated with this Order, if not part of it, as are a large host of Succubi, Lesser Demons and Jesters not known to the public. Much like with the case of the Dara Morca, those who believe the Dara Morcano exists believe it is hidden in the interest of keeping public order, as society could potentially break down if it was known that supernatural threats are still at large. Famous Inquisitors This includes Inquisitors famous for their achievements as well as Inquisitors infamous for their brutality. * Cado Itauva, "Hammer of the Heretics", served 935-976 * Nalarek Ko'ax, "Cleansing Flame", served 1799-1837, killed in action * Stio Malos, "the man who loved a demon", served 1821-1867, and Vesha Malos, served 1832-???? * Echiko Kesadawo, "Wolfsblood", served 1830-1851, killed in action